Journalists and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have been cautioned against entering confidential and sensitive information into Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications, particularly free publicly available platforms.
The caution was issued during a one-day AI training workshop organised by MTN Ghana for journalists and CSOs at the company’s Yello House in Accra.
The training, held as part of activities marking MTN Ghana’s 30th anniversary, focused on helping media practitioners and civic actors understand how to use AI effectively while protecting sensitive information and maintaining professional standards.
Experts at the workshop stressed that the growing use of AI in journalism and civil society work comes with significant risks, particularly in the areas of data privacy, cybersecurity and misinformation.
They advised participants to carefully assess the information they provide to AI systems and avoid uploading confidential documents, personal information, proprietary data or other sensitive materials.
The resource persons included Afrilogic Solutions Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Samuel Adranyi; Senior Manager for Digital Analytics and Monetisation at MTN Ghana, Kwame Manu; and HatuaTech Chief Executive Officer, Nehemia Yelu Affigah.
The experts also demonstrated various AI tools and explained how they could be integrated into the daily activities of journalists and CSOs to improve productivity and efficiency.
Participants were taken through AI-assisted fact-checking and were encouraged to independently verify information generated by AI before publishing or sharing it with the public.
According to the facilitators, AI-generated content should not automatically be treated as accurate, as the technology can produce misleading, incomplete or incorrect information.
They further encouraged organisations and professionals that depend on AI for critical work to consider premium or enterprise versions of the tools, which may provide stronger privacy controls and data protection features.
The workshop highlighted the need for media practitioners and civic actors to embrace AI while ensuring that its use does not compromise journalistic integrity, public trust or data security.
The facilitators’ central message to participants was clear: “Never input confidential data into an AI application.”
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